The Seattle Seahawks signed kick/punt returner and wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. on Tuesday.
Sims, a six-year NFL veteran, gives the Seahawks an experienced option in their return game, which was an issue for much of last season. He’s also the latest in a series of receivers Seattle has added to its roster after trading away DK Metcalf and releasing veteran Tyler Lockett earlier this month.
Sims, a former undrafted free agent out of Kansas, has spent time with Washington, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens.
Sims has 74 career punt returns for 462 yards, along with 62 career kick returns for 1,561 yards and one TD. He has averaged 6.2 yards per punt return and 25.2 yards per kick return.
While playing for Houston in January 2024, Sims returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown during an AFC divisional-round playoff loss to Baltimore. It came in front of Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who was the Ravens’ defensive coordinator at the time.
As a receiver, Sims has 78 career catches for 704 yards and five touchdowns. He also has 25 carries for 174 yards and a TD.
Most of Sims’ receiving production came during his first two NFL seasons with Washington. He totaled 61 catches for 575 yards and five TDs over those two years, but has just 17 catches for 129 yards since then.
Sims appeared in nine games this past season for the Texans and Ravens. He had 21 punt returns for 122 yards and seven kick returns for 195 yards. He played just 10 snaps on offense and wasn’t targeted.
The Seahawks had a slew of mistakes in their return game this past season. It culminated in a disastrous Week 13 special teams performance against the New York Jets, which resulted in returners Dee Williams and Laviska Shenault Jr. being released the following day.
Seattle then signed Jaelon Darden, who finished the season as the primary kick and punt returner. Darden recently became an unrestricted free agent after the Seahawks didn’t tender him.
